Punguduthivu erupts in protest against abduction, rape
and murder of Tharshini[TamilNet, December 18, 2005 08:53 GMT]

Civilians in Punguduthivu Sunday 18 December morning protested
against the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Punguduthivu following the
discovery of the body of Ilayathambi Tharsini (20) from an
abandoned well near SLN camp Saturday. A fifty-five years old
civilian was rushed to Jaffna Hospital with serious gunshot
wounds. Four more civilians sustained minor injuries. All
traffic beyond Velanai thuraiyoor remains cut, reports from the
islet said. Punguduthivu remains tense. The navy camp, an
administrative office of the SLN, was stoned and later set on
fire as the troopers withdrew from the camp, sources said. The wounded civilian was identified as Mr. P. Varatharajah, 55,
from 7th division of Punguduthivu.

Protesters alleged that the Sri Lanka Navy soldiers had
abducted the girl who was on her way to her aunt's house
Friday, raped her and dumped her into the abandoned well. The
body was discovered by civilians who set out on search inside
the no-go HSZ area Saturday and reported troopers shoeprints
around the well.

The protesters did not allow the troopers or the police to reach
the well until acting judges from Kayts Mrs. Linga Thurairasja
and Mr. M. Thirunavukarasu, acting judges from Kayts visited the
spot and assured the protestors that the body will be safely
transport to Jaffna Hospital mortuary for post mortem
examinations, sources said.

Punguduthivu is an islet located 24 km southwest of Jaffna, next
to Kayts.

The Kurikattuvan jetty located in Punguduthivu connects
Nedunthivu, Nainathivu and Analaithivu. Traffic to these islets
also remains cut as tension prevailed in Punguduthivu.

Ilayathamby Tharshini (20), whose body was recovered from an
abandoned well in Punguduthivu Saturday, was brutally raped before
being strangled to death, according to postmortem examination
conducted in the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Dr.Balasubramaniam,
Judicial Medical Officer, who conducted the postmortem examination
later handed over the medical report to the Kayts Police. The
funeral of Tharshini was held Monday amid intimidation and threat by
the Sri Lanka Navy personnel in Punguduthivu, residents said.

According to the report several injuries were caused by
fingernails and biting had been found on several areas of her
body. One of her breasts had been severely bitten.

The deceased was reported missing on Friday and on Saturday her
naked body tied to a stone was recovered from a well located
close to the Sri Lanka Navy ( camp in Punguduthivu. The body was
handed over to the mortuary of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.The
body was taken to Punguduthivu Monday afternoon in a vehicle by
her relatives.

In the meantime SLN soldiers conducted search operation in
Punguduthivu. SLN personnel assaulted several persons during the
search operation.

Proper funeral was not accorded to the dead woman, as selected
people who were to conduct last rites did not come to site due
to SLN intimidation of civilians in the area.

Hence
the body was taken to Kerativu cemetery in the vehicle which
brought her body from Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Thereafter
burial took place.

Meanwhile, officials of the Jaffna regional office of the Human
Rights Commission of Sri Lanka held an inquiry into this
incident in the house of the victim, sources said.The Police
submitted the medical report to the Magistrate Court Tuesday.

Punguduthivu Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society (MPCS) Tuesday
said in a press release that Sri Lanka Navy should take the
responsibility for the abduction and murder of a young woman
Ilayathamby Tharshini as Punguduthivu is under full control of
SLN. The press release further said the safety of Tamil women is
in danger in the presence of SLN personnel who perpetrate crimes
with complete impunity. They called upon civil groups and
women's rights activists to raise the issue in local and
international fora and ensure safety and freedom of movement to
women in the islets.

The description given below of Tharshini’s disappearance on 16th
December 2005 and the discovery of her body in an abandoned village
well is put together from statements made by Tharshini’s relatives
and neighbours to one of NESOHR’s committee members. NESOHR has made
the decision to withhold the identity of the relatives and
neighbours from this report because their safety may be compromised
if these are revealed. NESOHR is ready to share this information
with any leading international human rights organization that is
willing to join us in taking up this case of the rape and murder of
Tharshini.

Tharshini

Tharshini is a 20 year old, single young woman who lived with her
widowed mother in Pungudutivu (see map). Tharshini is one of three
daughters to her parents. Both of her sisters are married. One of
Tharshini’s sister, who is widowed, lived adjacent to Tharshini and
her mother. The two households functioned more or less like a single
household.

Tharshini sat her GCE (OL) examination in 2001 from Kamalambikai
Mahavidhyalayam in Pungudutivu. She tried to follow the GCE (AL)
course, but gave up. Since then Tharshini has taught at the Uraitivu
preschool. She also coached the sports teams at her old school.
Tharshini and one of her female cousins earned money by weaving
boxes made of Palmarah leaves. They did this task from the home of
her cousin. For this purpose she visited her cousin’s house
regularly and spent nights at her cousin’s house. At the time of her
murder Tharshini was just finishing a course in sewing. She was
turning out to be a good seamstress.

Disappearance

On the day of her murder, Friday 16th December, she left her home as
usual around 6.15 pm to go to her cousin’s house and followed the
small dirt footpath shown in the attached map. That night, both
Tharshini’s and her cousin’s household thought Tharshini was at the
other house. Unknowing to both households Tharshini never reached
her destination. Next morning Tharshini’s mother started looking for
Tharshini when she did not come back home in the morning as usual
from her cousin’s house.

Discovery of body

More of Tharshini relatives, realizing that she has gone missing,
joined in the search. They first found one of her slippers not very
far from her home, along the small dirt foot path. During this
search a few Sri Lankan Navy personnel from the Navy camp nearby
came around and asked the family to show the place where they found
the slipper.

At this time everyone heard loud screams. The scream came from some
of the boys from the village who have been checking the unused wells
by stirring the well with long sticks. These boys had screamed when
they just managed to bring up the hair of Tharshini above water
level (Well 1 in the map). When the Sri Lankan Navy men heard the
screams they all ran back to their camp. By this time it was 6.00 pm
Saturday night.

Tharshini’s relatives by now found a hat, worn by the Sri Lankan
Navy, placed over the trunk of a Palmarah tree near the well where
her body was found. They also found boot marks near the well. Later
they located a bloodied palm leaf near the well. Slightly further
away they found some dried palm leaves placed between two Palmarah
trees in order to create a screen (Site of screen in the map) behind
which one could hide on the side of the Navy camp. They also found Tharshini’s under clothes nearby which they said looked as if it was
cut with scissors.

Village people decided to camp near the well for the night to keep
guard. Next day, relatives informed the Judge for the area. Village
people refused to allow any of the Sri Lankan armed forces including
the police to come near the well. Village people recovered her body
from the well around 1.00 pm on Sunday in the presence of the Tamil
Judge. The judge ordered the body to be taken to Jaffna Teaching
Hospital for postmortem. Her body had been weighed down with heavy
stones on her legs and around her waist using very thick ropes. The
body was taken to the hospital still tied to these stones.
The judge ordered the Gramasevakar for the village, Ramesh, to take
all the related items discovered at the site to be taken away and
handed over to the Urkavalthurai courts.

Postmortem

The postmortem, conducted by Dr.Balasubramaniam, Judicial Medical
Officer of Jaffna Teaching Hospital, confirmed that she had been
raped and killed. Relatives who saw her body after the postmortem at
the hospital said that she had several bite marks on her face. Her
lips were ripped and they were stitched together by the hospital.
She had stab wounds in her chest and near her hip.

When Tharshini’s body was released to the family from the hospital
following postmortem it was put in a vehicle to be taken to her home
on Monday. Sri Lankan armed force personnel were standing near the
vehicle and offered to put sacks of rice, sugar etc in the same
vehicle in which Tharshini’s body was. Tharshini’s mother, furious
by this act which she saw as an act to placate her, screamed at them
in anger.

More clues

Once Tharshini funeral was over, the CID arrived. While searching
the crime scene for clues they found the braces she used for her
teeth not very far from the place where her slipper was first found.
CID also found, further down the dirt road, towards the Sri Lankan
Navy camp and away from her usual path to her cousin’s house,
her
other slipper. They also found a blue “key tag” with a few keys on
it. CID has told the villagers that it is the type of key tag used
by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Harassment

Since then, police, CID and other armed forces personnel have
visited Tharshini’s relative’s houses several times to investigate.
These officials who came to investigate have asked the family why
the crime could not have been committed by the LTTE. Before
Tharshini’s body was discovered, the investigating Sri Lankan armed
forces have told the family that Tharshini may have joined the LTTE.
Villagers also told us that the Sri Lankan security personnel are
looking
for the people who stood guard around the well where Tharshini’s
body was discovered on the night of December 17th to take some
punitive action against them.

Further Information:

There were 32 households around Tharshini’s home. Most of the
households have displaced. These lands and the wells in them were
basically abandoned. These abandoned lands had many Palmarah trees
that provided many hiding spots.
Other young women of the area told NESOHR that Sri Lankan Navy
personnel hang around these abandoned land and if the girls ever
look in their direction the Navy personnel would sign them to come
near. They would also whistle and hoot at the young women.

Villagers also said that the well near the temple (well 2 in the
map) near the Sri Lankan Navy camp is used by the Navy to bathe.
This well has no fence and was visible to public from public places.
Navy men will stand around the well naked to take their baths.

Villagers also said they would like to displace from the area after
the rape and murder of Tharshini. However, the Sri Lankan armed
forces, manning the checkpoints, is preventing them from leaving the
area with all their household things. It must be noted these are
very poor folks for whom leaving their household items will make a
huge dent in their entire possession.

NESOHR appeal

Tharshini’s mother, in spite of all that has happened is insistent
that she must complete the grieving period at her home according to
the culture and tradition. This, the people believe, will grant
peace to the departed soul. Given the gruesome way Tharshini’s life
was taken this will seem far more important to Tharshini’s mother
than any effort to lodge complaints or highlight her case at the
international forums. Such is the nature of these simple village
folks which act as a protective cover to those who have committed
the crime.

There have been innumerable cases like that of Tharshini during the
three decades of Sri Lankan military occupation of Northeast. Only
one case, Krishanthi’s rape and murder in 1996, was raised at
international forum. Tamils often ask why the other cases were never
brought at the international forums.

Observing the simple nature of the village folks in Tharshini’s
village, the answer to this seems obvious. Krishanthi was from a
middle class family whose relatives were living in Colombo. Her
family could readily make links with the sophisticated international
human rights community. Where as most of the cases like Tharshini’s
of the last three decades that NESOHR has investigated are from the
lowest strata of the society who have no strong links with the
sophisticated international human rights forums.

NESOHR is appealing to the international human rights community, to
join with NESOHR, and show that they do sincerely mean the claim of
upholding universal human rights and come to the aid of this simple
poor village family who has lost their caring, hard working
daughter. By doing so they would also prevent many more future
Tharshinies.